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What’s the story?
On a recent edition of E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness, former WWE Superstar Edge spoke about the time he was upset with Vince McMahon over the directives the WWE head issued for his 2008 Hell In A Cell match against the Undertaker.
Edge elucidated that McMahon had banned ‘blading’ from the aforementioned HIAC matchup, and instructed him and ‘Taker to refrain from using blood to highlight their duel.
Additionally, "The Rated R Superstar" explained that although he was a tad disappointed with Vince over his decision, he now understands why the WWE boss banned the use of colour (i.e. bleeding) in WWE matches. It was in 2008 that WWE had to turn PG as the company’s suggestive, adult content was causing them trouble in finding suitable sponsors.
In case you didn’t know…
Edge, whose real name is Adam Copeland, is best known for his run in the WWE alongside Tag Team partner Christian and later for his work as a heel in singles competition.
The 43-year-old was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.
The heart of the matter
Edge revealed his disappointment in Vince McMahon back in the day, when he got wind of the latter’s plans for the WWE HIAC matchup.
Edge spoke about this topic on his podcast and said, “I’m mad and I remember saying to Vince that day, ‘this is the most disappointed I’ve ever been in a decision that I’ve had to try and make do with, I guess, in this company’ because I really was. I thought, ‘this is the culmination of a year-and-a-half angle -- there has to be that -- there has to be colour.”
Furthermore, on McMahon banning blading and handing him and Undertaker the responsibility of setting the tone for HIAC matches in the years to come, Edge stated, “I wasn’t thinking further down the road or the big picture, all of the things Vince has to think about, and in hindsight he was right. He was right and what he said that day was completely right.”
In reference to McMahon’s long-term plan, Edge insinuated that he and the Deadman narrated a great story in their 2008 SummerSlam HIAC match despite the lack of blood, setting the tone for the Hell In A Cell matches to come in the years that followed that saw WWE transition to a PG company.
What’s next?
The WWE presently caters to fans of every age and does not put forth adult content and programs that include suggestive themes, blood or sexual innuendo.
Author’s take
Edge is right in saying that Vince McMahon truly did make an excellent business decision by having the WWE -- for better or worse depending on your fandom -- go PG.
The WWE is now a global giant and has got the best sponsors in the business -- something that wouldn’t have been possible had the company kept producing adult content like it did during the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras.
